


Aroma

by bitter_edge



Category: The Royal Tutor, 王室教師ハイネ | Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine | The Royal Tutor (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 05:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14687694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitter_edge/pseuds/bitter_edge
Summary: Relishing in the lovely taste of the cake itself, you can see why Café Mitter Meyer is sopopular. The satisfaction of it must show somehow, because Heine pipes up: "That's quite a nice expression. I'm glad to see you like it.""Hm? E-expression?" You drink some water and wipe your mouth, suddenly wondering ifyou were making some sort of strange face."Yes. It was a nice smile."Heine thinks you have a nice smile, huh.---A prank courtesy of your coworkers at the royal library leads you to the secret of a certain prince of Granzreich, and (even if just for a little while) into Heine's comfortable company.





	Aroma

You checked the time on your pocket watch, once more for good measure. After having  
seen the time run an hour and a half past the arranged meeting time, you decide that you have most definitely been jilted. It hurts a little, yes, but it does not come to you as a surprise--the sheepishness in his manner and the snickering colleagues behind his back gave it away a little.

So you wonder why you came anyway.

You heave a sigh and call over a waiter for a menu; deciding that you may as well have  
something while you’re here. You once read in the paper that this is Café Mitter Meyer's second branch; if the first was profitable enough to open a second, crowded store, the offerings here must be good indeed. 

"Pardon me, ma'am, here is the-- ah." You look up to see that a waiter's finally managed  
to reach to you. Though he seems to be somewhat pale, and his voice sounds very familiar… the man hands you the menu, bows, and quickly walks away. 

It's… strange. You can't quite place where you know the voice yet, but you know it… you  
think. You note the waiter's long, blonde hair, as well--don't you know this person? You think you might.

You survey the premises, looking for the waiter, and as you spot him talking to another  
customer in a panic, you catch a glimpse of someone you most definitely recognize: 

The royal tutor to the princes of Granzreich, and one of the royal library's most frequent  
visitors, Heine Wittgenstein. His small figure is seated at a booth in the corner of the café.

Realization clicks in your mind. If the royal tutor is here with a seemingly panicked,  
familiar-looking waiter, then could it be that the waiter standing next to him is…?

It is Heine who catches you staring, to the apparent shock and horror of the waiter he  
was speaking to. At the telltale understanding in your face, he beckons for you to come over.

 

"So… is that the, er, genuine article?" You whisper as quietly as you possibly can, having  
moved from your solitary booth to sit across from the tutor.

"…Yes. I apologize for the shock--I am here to supervise the Prince as he continues his  
work here." Heine takes a long sip of his drink. "He's very earnest about it. I trust you will keep this between us. His Highness is here with the blessing of his father, but we all agree that it would be for the best if this wasn’t public knowledge." He sets the cup down on its plate, and it lands with a "clack" that's pleasing to the ears. "What brings you here today, fräulein?"

You feel yourself freeze up a bit at that. You're not eager to let the professor know how  
you'd been just been jilted. Thankfully, he seems picks up on your hesitance, and moves on. 

"Perhaps you'd like to try the sachertorte. I wouldn't compare it to that of the palace  
chef's, but it's still quite delectable."

"Y-yes!" You take the opportunity Heine gives you to steer the conversation towards  
something more pleasant. "This is my first time at this café, actually, and I take it that you're a regular, so I'm glad for your recommendation." 

"It's no trouble at all," he replies. You'd never realized before, but the professor's voice  
doesn't match his stature at all. As you wonder why, he continues to speak; "This is one of your rare days off, yes? I'd like to thank you for all the hard work you do for me at the palace, so please allow me to treat you. Is there anything you can't eat...?"

"H-huh? No, no, but there's no need for you to do anything like that."

"Nonsense. I'm doing this because I want to."

You find yourself simply nodding at the frankness in his voice. 

When His Highness comes 'round again with the dessert, you find that you still have to  
try not to stare *too* hard. The prince still looks uneasy as well. But he puts his hand on his chest, breathes. "I apologize for such apparent shock on my part, earlier. I was simply shocked to see… a lady of such refinement." Prince Licht's tone is modulated, yet natural. It’s as if his demeanor has changed completely, and it contains no trace of the fear you saw in him earlier. "Yes, 'twas like being presented with a rose in full bloom. Tell me, fräulein, are you visiting us from the palace?" 

You see one of the prince's fellow waiters looking over his shoulder, and realize that he  
is putting up a front--not for the sake of deceiving you, but for the sake of keeping his identity from his coworkers. You look over at the royal tutor for assistance, and he nods, likely to signal for you to continue as you like… or that's how you'll take it, anyway. "I am, actually." your reply comes measured, in the calmest tone you can muster. "It's my day off, so I thought I would spend my afternoon purchasing something new to read. I stumbled upon this cafe before I managed to find anything that, er, piqued my interest."

This probably sounds believable. The waiter who was looking over his Highness'  
shoulder has gone to busy himself with something else. "I'm glad you've stopped upon our door, then," says Prince Licht. He seems careful not to flirt like he usually does when faced with young women. It's surprisingly appropriate of him, yet somehow souring, given that you'd just been stood up. "I do hope you find our offerings to be to your liking. Do call on me if you wish for anything else." The Prince bows to you and Heine (yet another foreign and strange experience) and with that, he walks away, keeping his quick pace.

You let yourself heave a sigh of relief.

Heine takes another sip of his drink, and glances at you out of the corner of his eye. "His  
Highness has a lot to learn, evidently, but that's what I'm here for." 

You cut a bite of the cake with your fork and note the decadent luster of the chocolate  
coating on the top of the slice. 

Relishing in the lovely taste of the cake itself, you can see why Café Mitter Meyer is so  
popular. The satisfaction of it must show somehow, because Heine pipes up: "That's quite a nice expression. I'm glad to see you like it." 

"Hm? E-expression?" You drink some water and wipe your mouth, suddenly wondering if  
you were making some sort of strange face. 

"Yes. It was a nice smile."

Heine thinks you have a nice smile, huh. As he says this, he’s smiling, himself. His voice  
does sound a bit more relaxed than it was before though--or maybe you're imagining it? You take another bite to try and calm down. It really is delicious. 

"…May I have a drink, too?"

"Of course. Have whatever you like."

"Thank you, Herr Heine." Now that the good professor is paying your bill, you suppose  
you may as well order whatever drink he's having. You call for a waiter, and when Prince Licht comes, you tell him just that. 

This feeling of relaxation isn't bad at all, you find, as your drink is served. The hustle and  
bustle of the rest of the café's space fades pleasantly into the background. The ambiance is peaceful, yet full. You realize that it is also nice to be sitting here with Heine; his company is silent, but not cold. 

You taste a dollop of the whipped cream and find the texture to be nice and fluffy; a good  
complement to the bittersweet flavor of the coffee underneath. You sneak another glance at Heine over the lip of your mug. In the silence that had settled between the two of you, he'd begun to write. His dark red hair glints in the sunlight that streams in from the window to the side of the booth.

"Do you have a favorite food, or drink, Herr Heine?" As you ask him this, he looks up  
from his work.

"My favorite food or drink? Hrm…"

He hums, seemingly contemplative. You can't see what the contents of the notebook are  
exactly, but you probably shouldn't peek, anyway. "Red wine, or perhaps a good blend of coffee? I'll admit, not much comes to mind. Why do you ask?"

"B-Because I want to get you something to thank you, of course." You're embarrassed to  
admit that you don't know too much about coffee or wine, though. And you're assuming--hoping--he'll let you return the favor.

"Well, if you insist… I haven’t read for leisure’s sake in a while now. Being that you’re  
the head librarian, I’d like to hear your recommendation." 

At that, you feel comfortable, and you can’t help but smile. "In that case, are there any  
topics you liked to read about before?”

Heine brings his hand to his chin in thought. "I can't remember the title at the moment,  
but I do remember being in the middle of a very thrilling series in which the protagonist, a renowned phantom thief, was suddenly framed for murder..."

“Oh! I think I’ve read that one before, too! It was really exciting when…”

As you find yourself finally able to relax, the time slips away from you then; lost in cups  
of coffee, in Heine's comfortable company, and in a gentle and happy warmth that settles into your chest.


End file.
